The Moment
by Glimare
Summary: One Shot: Chat Noir thinks of the moment he fell in love with Ladybug, and it wasn't because she was perfect.


Hey there! Been a bit since I've written fanfiction so I'm a little rusty. But I fell in love with Miraculous, specifically with Chat Noir and MariChat. So cute. So that means fanfiction! :D hope you like. This is kinda an observation too. Enjoy!

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 _ **The Moment**_

For whatever reason, Ladybug was convinced Chat Noir only loved the brave and amazing hero he saw every few days. That he loved only the image she put up for everyone. That he only loved Ladybug for being Ladybug.

It honestly hurt she thought he was so shallow.

Sighing to himself, Chat looked over the Eifle Tower, remembering the day love started to blossom in his heart for his lady.

They weren't heroes for very long. It was their second day actually. Adrien barely finished one day in a normal school, made a bad impression on a couple classmates, and had to figure out a way to not be confined to his house later by his father, and Stoneheart decided then and there to catch the only person he knew during his time locked away in his dreary house. He called on Plagg, tried to stop the Akuma and save Chloe, but in the end, Ladybug had to stop her from becoming street pizza.

Honestly, being told he was only muscles and not able to actually save the day was frustrating. Adrien wasn't needed to actually save Paris from monsters.

But he was needed by a certain lady.

"We're clear to attack!" Officer Rogers was not playing around when it came to protecting his city. Chat started moving forward to stop him when Ladybug objected.

"Wait! No, don't attack them! You know it'll only make it worse!" Her genuine worry for the akumitized victim and the people around him were clear, and she was right. He saw that first hand just yesterday. But the officer wouldn't listen.

"I have a new plan, unlike you!" The officer side stepped her as she timidly stepped away, glaring down on both of them. "Move aside and let the pros do their thing. You've already failed once!"

Chat glared at the guy, more than a little annoyed at his blatant rudeness. Yeah, they failed the first time, but it was the first time. Neither of them knew what they were doing, and Ladybug was unsure of herself from the start. Only when she started really fighting, being in the moment, did she have the confidence to take on the Akuma before. And she just saved Chloe! If she wasn't worth listening to before, she certainly was now.

Besides, she was the one who could save the day. He wasn't. If anyone was to step aside, Chat Noir was.

"He's right, you know."

The kitty stopped his own dooming thoughts, turning to Ladybug in surprise. Did she really just say that? The moment of confidence she had after saving Chloe was gone, and she was a trembling teenaged girl again. Chat's heart stopped as he heard her voice: cracking and on the verge of tears.

"If I had captured Stoneheart's akuma the first time around, none of this would have happened!" Her hands went to her head, anticipating the guilt and shameful drops coming long before they would. "I knew I wasn't the right one for this job!"

"No. He's wrong!" The words left his mouth before he could even think. Ladybug looked up to Chat, her eyes begging for any hope he could give her. And he wanted to give it to her. He gestured over to Chloe hugging her father. "Because without you, she'd no longer be here."

Chloe was a pain, he'd be the first to admit it, but she wasn't all bad. She didn't deserve to die because of her selfishness either. Ladybug saved her. That was proof enough she was a hero.

"And because without us, they won't make it." He got her to look towards the battle at hand and the policemen who couldn't handle this situation. Their tactics wouldn't work. Theirs did the other day. They just didn't finish the job. Not that they knew any better then or anything. But now that they knew what to do, they would do it. "And we'll prove that to 'em. Trust me on this. Okay?"

He smiled for her, hoping to give her back the confidence she needed to be the hero she was. Slowly he saw the light and hope grow back in her eyes. His words got through to her, words she needed.

Ladybug needed him.

"Okay."

Her smile and one word was all it took, and he was hooked.

Cupid shot him straight through the heart in that moment.

Then turned him into Swiss Cheese with all her next moves.

Clapping confidently at Hawkmoth's ultimatum. "Nice try, Hawkmoth, but we know who the bad guy is. Let's not reverse the roles here. Without you, none of these innocent victims would be transformed into villains. Hawk Moth, no matter how long it takes, we willfind you, and you will hand us your Miraculous!"

Turning a whole flock of akumatized butterflies back to normal in one shot.

Standing tall in front of everyone and delivering her defining speech. "Let me make this promise to you. No matter who wants to harm you, Ladybug and Cat Noir will do everything in our power to keep you safe!"

And she included him.

Ladybug included him as one of the heroes of Paris.

Ladybug needed Chat Noir.

His lady needed him.

"Wow." Blood flowed powerfully through his chest in a way he didn't think was possible. Adrien hadn't felt that warm around anyone in so long, and it was a different warmth too. Only one thing he could figure after that moment. "Whoever she is beneath that mask, I love that girl."

And every day since, that warmth, that love he felt from that moment, grew into something he could hardly contain.

Chat could only hope one day milady would feel the same. She already needed him to help save Paris in his own way, but it was more than that, and he could tell from the moment he rekindled the fire in her eyes that second day.

She needed him so she could be Ladybug.

"What are you doing Kitty?"

He looked back to his partner, raising an eyebrow at him. "We're supposed to be on patrol, not daydreaming."

"I was just thinking, Bugaboo." Chat grinned more bravely than he actually was. Plagg helped him get past personal barriers, but they were still there. He had his own insecurities, and he wanted to share them with his lady, but she wasn't quite open to touchy feely talk right then. Maybe he'd talk to Marinette more later. She was easier to talk to with his mask on for some reason, and she already knew about his feelings for LB. Though the hero wasn't ready to accept his feelings, he still had them and they weren't going away any time soon. A friend outside of it all was a good option in this case. "Of our first akuma."

"Stoneheart?" Now she really looked confused. Cuter too. It wasn't often he stumped her. "Why?"

"Reasons." She didn't really want to know more about his feelings than he already told her, and Chat was willing to take it slow. He was only 14 after all. They had plenty of time to figure out things like romance. He just had to not look like an idiot while trying to woo his lady.

So he strode over to the edge facing where they were supposed to go. Just a little more time on patrol then they'd split ways. He'd drop by Marinette's before actually going home if he could. Maybe he'd snag a cookie or two before leaving. "Shall we, milady?"

Ladybug rolled her eyes and swung out her yo-yo. "I'm not the sleepy kitty, Chat Noir. Hup!"

And there she flew off. Chat watched her swing to the next rooftop, dropping the confident act and just enjoying her flight. "So long as the dream comes true one day, does it really matter when it started?"

Who knew.

END

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A/N: Liked it? I have two more Chat centric fics I'm working on that may spin off into their own storylines, but they're super angsty and not near as cute as this one. I also have a comic I posted today on my DA page that's fun if you want more from me now. Same name as here.

Honestly, I think Adrien didn't just fall in love with Ladybug's strength, but also how much she needed him in that moment, how she hides her weakness as LB all the time, and that she does the right thing anyway. He loves all of her and knows she's hiding just as much as he is. Stupid girl just doesn't realize it yet. Either way, I think the best way for their character growth to happen is through MariChat. Adrien and Ladybug hide too much of themselves in those forms to make progress as people. Just my two cents. Until next time!


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